Rotary engine



No. 751,872. PATENTED FEB. 9, 1904.

W. F. ROAUH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY 15, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 751,872. PATENTED FEB. 9, 1904. W. F. ROAGH.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T-HE scams FEYERS co, Puomm'na, \vnsumsrou, o. c.

Patented February 9, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

-WILLIAM F. ROACH, OF LINDSEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,872, dated February9, 1904.

Application filed May 15, 1903. Serial No. 157,205. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. ROACH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lindsey, in the county of Jefferson and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and particularly to a compoundrotary engine employing a revolving rotatable pistonthat is, a pistonwhich makes several revolutions around its own axis while it is makingone revolution around the engine shaft from which it is hung.

The object of the invention is to provide a compound rotary enginehaving a cylinder provided with induction and discharge ports, a shaftjournaled in the cylinder, an expansible or flexible hanger secured tothe shaft in the cylinder, and a revolulole and rotatable piston carriedby and journaled in the hanger.

A further object of the invention is to provide a steam-chest havingvalve-seats of special construction, gates operated by a revolving androtating piston flexibly hung in the engine-cylinder from a shaftjournaled in the cylinder, novel and peculiar connections between theshaft and steam-chest valves, and a special form of hanger connectingthe piston with the shaft.

In the accompanying drawings,forming part of this application, Figure 1is an elevation of the engine. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section.Fig. 3 is a plan view of the face-plate looking at the inner sidethereof. Fig. 4: is a section on the line as :0, Fig. 2, with the valvesand crank-shafts removed. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tonguedsleeve or collar. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of theslidevalves, partly broken away. Fig. 7 is a cen tral sectional viewthrough the hanger, piston, and shaft. Fig. 8 is an elevation, partlybroken away, showing hand-reversing device. Fig. 9 is an elevation of amodification with faceplate removed. Fig. 10 is a vertical section,

partly broken away, showing a further modification.

The same numeral references denote the same parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

The steam-chest 1 has an induction 2 and concavecl arc-shaped orsemicircular valve-seats 3, one of which is located upon each side ofthe center of the cylinder-top 4:, with the inner ends thereofprojecting above the said top and at an elevation higher than the otheror outer ends of the valve-seats. Under the seats 3 and communicatingtherewith is an exhaust-chamher 5, having an exhaust-opening 6.Steampassages 7 extend from the cylinder 8 and terminate at thevalve-seats 3 imports 9 and 10, positioned upon one side of the exhaust5. Steam-passages 11 extend from the cylinder 8 and terminate at thevalve-seats 3 in ports 12 and 13, positioned upon the other side of theexhausts 5. Between the exhausts 5 and passages 11 are gateways formedby a cavity or recess 14, which extends from under the wall of the ports12 and 13 and terminates in the cylinder 8 between the passages 7 and11. Concaved or arc-shaped gates 15 are operated in the recesses 14 andin channels or grooves 16 of the cylinder back and in like grooves 17 inthe face-plate 18 by a piston 19 and with the latter divide or separatethe cylinder into two compartments, whatever be the position of thegates and the piston.

The face-plate 18 has pockets 17 to permit steam to pass from thesteam-chest to the gateways 1&, whereby the gates 15 are understeampressure, so that while one gate is operated bythe piston the othergate is made to follow the piston.

The slide-valves 20 (being alike, only one will be here described indetail) are of semicircular shape on their face or bearing side with theseats 3. A central steampocket 21 is formed in the face of the valvesand has passages 22, terminating in ports 23. Transverse ports 24, openat each end, are formed in the valve and have a port 25 opening throughthe valve-face between the pocket and ports 23. Ports 26 are made ateach end of the valve, and the top of the valve has a central groove orbearing 27, in which is fitted a tongue 28 of a collar or sleeve 29,secured to a crankshaft 30. A crank-shaft 31 is likewise connected tothe other valve, and by these crankshafts and their eccentricconnections to amain shaft 32 the valves are connected to shaft 32.

The inner end of the shaft 32 is angular, and from it is hung a flexibleor expansible piston-shaft hanger 33, comprising two parts resiliently,flexibly, or expansively connected together by rods 34, having spiralsprings 35 between the parts. The part 36, which I will term themain-shaft part, has an opening 38 to fit the end 32 of the main shaft,so as to be turned with and by said shaft. The part 37, designated asthe piston-shaft-spindle part, has a bearing 39 for the piston spindleor shaft L0 and an adj Listing-spring 41, controlled by a set-bolt L2.The main shaft 32 is suitably journaled at the back of the engine andextends into the cylinders.

' The piston spindle or shaft L0 is preferably made integral with thepiston-web L3 and fits loosely in the hanger-bearing 39, so that thehanger 33 is within the piston 40, and the latter is cushioned betweenthe back of the cylinder and the cylinder face-plate by rings 44 andspiral springs 45, which extend through holes 4:6 in the body of thepiston. It will be seen that the piston is free to revolve according tothe steam-pressure thereon and that the flexibility of the hangerpermits the piston to follow and have its bearing upon the surface ofthe cylinder, so that the piston will Work the gates simultaneously withthe working of the slide-valves.

- In the event of the engine requiring a reverser I provide a device, asshown in Fig. 8,

which consists of the links 47, adapted to be worked on pivot-blockconnections 48 between the crank-shafts 49 and the eccentric-arms 50,

'a bar 51, coupling the links together, a lever 52, attached to one ofsaid links and pivoted to a hand-lever 53, fulcrumed at 53.

' Referring to the modifications shown in Fig. 9, the valve-seats 5a areconvexed, and the valves 55 have concaved bearing-faces; otherwise thestructure of the engine is the same as that hereinbefore described.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10 there are-two main shafts 561 and57 employed, a flexible hanger for each shaft and a piston 58,

"having a central web 59, so that the hangers are contained in thepiston, one upon each side of the web. This arrangement is speciallyfitted for low-pressure engines.

-' It is obvious that in the operation of the engine the piston is movedfrom side to side and revolves around the cylinder, according to thepressure and exhaust steam to and from the valves into and from thecylinder-compartments, and turns the main shaft, which operates thevalves simultaneously with and according to the movement of the piston.It will therefore be seen that the valves act both as induction andexhaust valves.

The operation in detail is as follows: Steam from the chest is carriedby the ports 24 and 25 through ports 9 or 12 and through passages 7 or11 to the cylinder, according to the position of the slide-valves andthe movement of the piston, so that one set of said ports and passagesin each side of the chest induct steam, while theother set exhaust itfrom the cylinder. With the piston in the position shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings the left-hand ports 25 and 26 have cut off steamby way ofpassage 11 and ports 12 and 13 from the chest to the cylinder under theleft gate. Acontinued movement of the left toward the right from itsposition shown will exhaust from the cylinder above the piston by way ofthe left passage 7 and ports 9 and 10 of the left valve and through thepocket 21 of this valve to the exhaust-port 6. During such movement ofsaid valve the right valve has opened the right exhaust-passage 11 andports 12 and 23 to its pocket 21 and the latter to the right exhaust 6.As the piston climbs the righthand side of the cylinder it closes theentrance of the right passage 11 to the cylinder, and the right valvewill have moved toward the left to close communication between thecylinder-compartment below the piston, and the left end of the saidright valve begins to open communication between the steam-chest and theupper cylinder-compartmentthrough the right passage 7 and ports 25 and26, communicating with ports 9 and 10. A further movement of the pistonin the same direction will reverse the valve, close the ports lastmentioned, and open the exhaust for steam from the lowercylinder-compartment, which has just been admitted to this compartmentby the left-hand valve.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. .The combination, with the cylinder, the steam-chest, the main shaft,and the piston revoluble and rotatable in the cylinder, of the two-parthanger one part thereof carrying the shaft and the other part thepiston, and the gates slidable under the steam-chest and in the cylinderand operated by the piston and with the latter separating the cylinderinto two compartments.

2. In a rotary engine, a compartment-cylinder, a steam-chest providedwith inlet and outlet ports, and passages to and from the compartments,a shaft centrally journaled in the cylinder, an expansible hanger fixedto the shaft, a revolving and rotating piston journaled on the hanger,and the curved or arc-shaped gates working in the steam-chest againstthe piston and with the latter separating the said compartments.

3. The combination, with the shaft, the cylinder having gates, thepiston, the two-part flexible hanger in which the piston is journaledand the shaft is secured eccentric to the piston, and the valves, ofmeans to convert the rotary motion of the shaft to a slidable motion ofthe valves comprising the crankshafts, collars or sleeves on thecrank-shafts having a tongue engaging the valves, and the eccentricconnections from the crank-shafts to the said shaft.

4. The combination, with the shaft, and the piston, of means forflexibly and expansively connecting the shaft and piston eccentric toeach other, comprising atWo-part hanger, one part thereof being fixed tothe shaft and the other part thereof having the piston-spindle journaledtherein, rods loosely connecting said hanger parts, and springs tocontrol the movement of the parts relative to each other.

5. The combination, with the cylinder, the steam-chest havingsteam-passages leading into the cylinder and gateways between saidpassages, valves slidable over said passages to open and close thelatter, and a shaft having eccentric connections with the valves, of thepiston, the hanger secured to the shaft and in which the piston isjournaled eccentric to the shaft, and the slidable gates operated by thepiston and with the latter dividing the piston into two compartments,and permitting the piston to close the said passages at their entranceto the cylinder.

6. In a rotary engine, a casing formed with a steam-cylinder, asteam-chest above the cylinder, gateways between the steam-chest and thecylinder, and the steam-ports in the steamchest connected by passages tothe cylinder, slide valves to open and close the ports, sliding gates insaid ways, a shaft journaled centrally in the cylinder, an expansiblehanger on the shaft within the cylinder, a rotatable piston journaled inthe hanger eccentric to the shaft, eccentrics on the shaft, andoperative mechanism between the eccentrics and the valves to effect areversal of the engine.

7. In a rotary engine, a cylinder having steam-ports to admit anddischarge the steam, oppositely arranged and extending shafts journ aledin the cylinder, duplicate expansible hangers on the ends of the saidshafts within the cylinder, a rotatable and revoluble pistoneccentrically journaled in the hangers and disposed between them, andslidable gates bearing on the piston at different points.

8. In a rotary engine, the combination, with a cylinder and aflexibly-hung revolving rotating piston therein having a central web, ofthe two-part hanger having springs therebetween and in which the pistonis. journaled, a twopart shaft journaled in the cylinder and having endsfitting and terminating in the hanger with a space between the hangerparts to permit the passage of the piston-web.

9. The combination, with the cylinder, the steam-chest at the topthereof, and the shaft centrally journaled in the cylinder, of therevolving and rotating piston, two-part hanger for flexibly hanging thepiston from and eccentric to the shaft, and the gates working under the.steam-chest in the cylinder upon.

each side of the vertical center thereof and against the piston.

10. In a rotary engine, the combination, with the cylinder having asteam-chest, the piston, and the shaft centrallyjournaled in thecylinder, of the hanger for expansively Y and eccentrically hanging thepiston from the shaft to revolve with the latter and rotate during suchrevolution, the gates with the piston dividing the cylinder into twocompartments, each compartment having independent induction and exhaustpassages from and to the said steam-chest.

11. The combination, with a rotary engine, a main shaft, a revolublepiston eccentrically connected to the shaft, and curved valve-seats inthe engine steam-chest, of the slide-valves connected to the said shaftand having the same curvature as the said seats and in which are formedtransverse induction-openings to take steam from the chest and havingports 25, a central pocket to exhaust steam from the cylinder, passagesfrom the pocket terminating in ports to carry steam to theexhaustchambers of the engine, and a port 26 through each end of thevalves.

12. In a rotary engine, the combination, with the cylinder and theflexible hanger, of the piston having apertures therethrough the ringscontained in the piston, and the springs working in the apertures andagainst the rings, to form side cushions for the piston.

13. In a rotary engine, the combination, with the cylinder, theface-plate, the shaft, and the flexible hanger secured to the shaft, ofthe piston hung from the hanger and having holes therethrough, the ringscontained in the piston and bearing against the face-plate, and thesprings loose in the holes and working against the rings.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM F. ROACH. Witnesses:

M. J. TRACEY, JOHN STELOLESTOM.

